Possible Head Gasket?

[Gs Dewd]

This is quiet a long story but bear with me. The problem started Friday night. I left my house for a 2 HR drive. I was on the road for about 20 mins. and was getting on the interstate when I noticed my boost guage hitting around 20 psi ( normally around 12psi). I drive for about another 40 mins. keeping the boost well below 10psi. Then the temp guage went up to hot almost buried the needle before I got off the interstate. Got the car parked and cooled down. Fixed the boost problem ( hose off waste gate.) Refilled the radiator and started driving again. Got to where I was going everything was fine. Headed back home and got just about to my house and the temp guage started creeping up again. made it home before it got "hot". Went out Sat. morning checked the coolant level it was low. Changed the thermostat and radiator cap refilled it again started the car it was idling very high around 2500 rpm. I let it warm up and the idle dropped to about 1200 rpm but was bouncing between 1200 and 1500 rpm. Reset the idle per specs. And everything was good idled fine at 750 steady. The fan was coming on. I let it run in my drive of and on for about an hr. Everything was good. Took the car into town rode around a bit and went home everything still good. Drove the car to work Sunday (45 min drive each way) everything good. Started back out Sunday night on my 2 hr drive to pick up my son and got just about there and it started overheating again. Parked it cooled it off and got my son and made it just about home again and it started heating up again made it home. Mon. morn I refilled the rad. again drove to work everything was fine. Drove back home and it started heating up again. and has been since. Now what I have done so far is Change the thermostat and radiator cap. The water pump is about 3 months old. Checked for leaks unable to find any. I even have ran the car without a thermostat and it still heats up. Now there is no coolant in my oil and no smoke coming out my exhaust. Can this still possibly be a head gasket? I did a compression test yesterday and cylinders 1, 2,and 4 are at 135 psi and cylinder 3 is at 125 psi. And they seem to hold compression. Also when I start the car when it's cold it still idles very high around 2200 rpm and after a few mins. of running it starts bouncing with the idle until it warms up then it drops to a steady 750 rpm. I have changed the ics also. Any help to this problem would be greatly appreciated. I really don't want to pull the head unless I know for sure that is what the problem is.

 

[ROOKIE1]

I would guess , if it is a head gasket , you should be able to pull the plugs . If they are really clean ( steam cleaned ) then that should point to gasket .

 

[ReebisTSI]

Is your coolant overflow full? If it is, order up a headgasket. Also, the coolant may have a brown color and be kinda bubbly. This sounds exactly what happened to me when my HG went. Goodluck.

 

[Gs Dewd]

Now since the head gasket is fried. What would you do? I have a spare block that I was going to build this fall or winter and set the car up with that over the winter since I won't be driving it much. Should I just get a oem headgasket and stock bolts (of couse new ones) to put on this engine for now since I don't boost much over stock and save the money for a good headgasket and arp studs for the new engine or go ahead and spend the money on a good headgasket and arp studs for this engine and for go the build up of the other engine for now? Mileage on this engine is unknown but it does run like a champ with no smoke or anything and is a 6 bolt.

 

[ROOKIE1]

Oem gasket is fine . I believe I have read that the arp head bolts are reusable , unlike oem head studs . Oem studs stretch . So you could buy arps now and use in winter build also . Not much price difference from what I have seen .